Topic: Xenophobia

In the "Valley of the Clueless" in Saxony, where Arab contract workers were once employed alongside GDR factory workers, East Germans and refugees meet for a peculiar trip down memory lane. Rene Wildangel reports from this year's BerlinaleMore

Europe is shifting to the right. Border security and isolation increasingly dominate the migration policies of the European Union. At a national level, right-wing parties are peddling a symbolic identity policy to distract from cuts that undermine the very fabric of society, says political scientist Farid HafezMore

Why are people bothered when an academic wears a headscarf, but don't mind one worn by a cleaning lady? Extremism researchers are studying how and why attitudes towards Muslims are changing. The rise of the AfD is viewed as an important factor. By Kay Alexander ScholzMore

A theatre in Leipzig has stuck its neck out and brought a children′s play about refugees to the stage. The main actor fled Syria himself and the story he conjures up out of his suitcase is both educational and funny. An integration project for everyone involved – those from here and from elsewhere. By Inge GuntherMore

Ascribing a presumption of guilt to all Muslims on the issue of anti-Jewish sentiment is nothing more than a strategy successfully deployed by right wing groups in their anti-migrant campaigns, argues Ingrid ThurnerMore

Tzvetan Todorov was not a typical French TV philosopher, bending the president's ear with ideas on the politics of the day. He definitely would not have called for "Libya to be bombed", as did Bernard-Henri Levy in 2011. Todorov kept a low profile. He passed away early this year. Stefan Buch explains why he was – and will remain – one of the voices of our timeMore

Young people, mostly from immigrant backgrounds, are working for a Cologne initiative fighting religious fanaticism. They aim to combat the radicalisation of others of their generation by coming together as peers. By Nina NiebergallMore

As a result of this war, we Syrians experience terrible things every day, even in exile: despite the distance, we suffer along with those members of the population who have stayed in our country. At the same time, we ′exiles′ experience what it means to be foreign, writes Nather Henafe Alali in his third columnMore

With the recent rise in Islamophobia across German – and the wider European – society, the Islamic theologian Hamideh Mohagheghi warns against retreating from the debate. Now is the time for Muslims to practise their faith in confidence, step forward and speak out. Interview by Canan TopcuMore

German-Iranian writer and Islamic studies expert Navid Kermani, who was awarded the German Book Trade′s Peace Prize in Oktober 2015 is one of Germany's most compelling thinkers. In an interview with Catherine Newmark, he speaks about literature und politics, the threat to freedom and the future of EuropeMore

The call by the AfD for a ban on Muslims being able to practise their faith freely and publicly is an attack on the German constitutional right to freedom of religious expression. If people start calling for minarets to be erased from public life, then it is not unreasonable to expect that one day, those minarets will burn, says Stefan BuchenMore

The NSU neo-Nazi terrorist trial barely makes the headlines anymore. A German TV miniseries on their alleged murders also met with little interest. Sarah Judith Hofmann wonders whether Germans are even interested in the case being solvedMore

Following last week′s brutal events in Brussels, there has once again been much talk in the media of an attack on Western lifestyle and freedoms. Meanwhile the strategy and the tactics of Islamic State are much more sophisticated than some of this post-attack coverage. By Karim El-GawharyMore